Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

Decatur unveils phoenix sculpture in public art project

A new work of public art by Ellex Swavoni
Decatur sculpture
A new work of public art by Ellex Swavoni
A new work of public art by Ellex Swavoni
A new work of public art by Ellex Swavoni
A new work of public art by Ellex Swavoni
Decatur sculpture
Decatur sculpture
A new work of public art by Ellex Swavoni
Decatur sculpture
Decatur sculpture
Decatur sculpture
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The new public art sculpture by artist Ellex Swavoni stands in the Beacon Municipal Center Plaza in Decatur on September 19, 2021. “What Sonia Said” is the name of the phoenix unveiled in a ceremony last week. STEVE SCHAEFER FOR THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
By Staff reports – AJC
Sept 19, 2021

Art for the People, a public art project in Decatur, unveiled its latest work this month.

Artist Ellex Swavoni was joined by residents Sept. 12 for the public unveiling ceremony of “What Sonia Said,” described as a fiery, heroic phoenix inspired by Sonia Sanchez’s poem “Catch the Fire.”

The sculpture is on display at the plaza at Beacon Municipal Center at 420 W. Trinity Place between the Ebster Recreation Center and the Decatur Police Department.

Art for the People is an initiative “that challenges structural racism and the enshrinement of oppression and genocide,” according to the city’s Visit Decatur website. “Art for the People changes the narrative by reflecting the voices of people of color, advocating for social justice and equity, and lifting up themes of racial reckoning, resistance, survival, healing, affirmation and radical imagination.”

Art for the People is a project of the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights in partnership with the Decatur Arts Alliance and Decatur Makers. The Beacon Hill group was among those who worked to remove the Confederate monument on the Decatur Square.

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